CL : Chapter 72 – Valentine’s Day PART I

After all of those pains and struggles in Kichirō’s life, he finally got rid of the ghosts that were hunting him from the past. On Valentine’s Day, several events took place within the group.

I – Ken x Naoki

“Waaaah…! What a beautiful day!” Ken joyously said as he stretched out while he was getting out of his car. “It’s finally Valentine’s Day. I’m pretty sure a lot of beauties will give me chocolates today. Why am I so handsome?” He sheepishly smiled as he thought about the possibilities. He was definitely filled with enthusiasm and expectations.

When he reached their first room for the day, his eyes opened wide as soon as he realized one fact — his table was empty. Faced with this reality, his heart sank and he felt like his feet were deeply rooted to the ground. In the past, he would usually get dozens of chocolates from girls during this most-awaited day for lovers; although it may not be as much as Ryū‘s, the gifts he would get could be considered unrivaled. He was not called the University’s Casanova for nothing.

As soon as he sat in his seat, which was positioned near the window, he took a peek outside the room. He noticed there were many girls who were casually giving chocolates to their male peers and lovers. He rolled his eyes and just chose to look on the other side. What bothered him the most was that when he looked the other way, the first thing that caught his attention was Ryū’s table that was filled with chocolates. His eyes became teary at the sight of this and out of frustration, he covered his face with his jacket so that he would not see this heartbreaking scene anymore.

“What’s wrong?” A voice came over.

Ken removed the jacket that was covering his face then saw Seijirō smiling brightly at him. “Nothing. Can’t you see there’s nothing here?” He pointed to his empty table.

Seijirō patted his back and consoled the other: “Having nigatsubyō [1]? Don’t worry, I’m sure that you’d get one from Sakaguchi-kun.” After saying that, Seijirō wryly smiled then left to sit in his own spot.

([1]「二月病」Blues experienced by a man who did not receive chocolates during Valentine’s Day.)

Why did I forget about my wife? I’m so bad! Thinking of this, Ken’s mood became bright again.

After class, he came to pick up Naoki. He was leaning against the wall as he waited for the other. Finally, the school bell rang. Just when he was about to turn toward the door beside him, a familiar figure bolted out of the room, as if it was light, speeding to its limit. Ken was momentarily stunned by this, but he immediately woke up from his temporary daze. That’s my Naoki, right?!

He ran after Naoki but he was too fast so that Ken lost track of him. He did not know what has gotten into Naoki but he knew that Naoki was intentionally avoiding him. He heaved a deep sigh and just decided to patiently wait for Naoki in his car.

After almost an hour of waiting for Naoki, he finally arrived!

When Naoki got into the car in the passenger’s seat, Ken noticed that Naoki could not directly look at him. His heart thumped at the sight of this. “Are you perhaps… cheating on me?!” Ken gasped.

“Cheat my foot!” Naoki loudly roared. He was flustered and at the same time, looked a bit hesitant. Ken did not make it hard for the other anymore so he decided to just shut up and drive.

Upon reaching Naoki’s apartment, Ken was the first to get out of the car. Naoki still sat there as if he was glued to the passenger’s seat. Because of this, Ken decided to open the door for him.

“Baby, what’s wrong? You can tell anything to Daddy,” Ken asked.

“Who are you calling baby?!” Naoki harrumphed then looked the other way. He was obviously blushing.

Ken was somewhat hurt by Naoki’s actions today. This was supposed to be a special day for them but it all became a complete mess. Because of that, he dispiritedly decided to walk slowly toward Naoki’s room without saying anything. As soon as he made his first step, he felt that Naoki was holding him by his wrist. “I’m sorry,” Naoki softly said.

“Sorry for what?” Ken asked out of curiosity.

“Here. Don’t say anything. Happy Valentine’s Day,” Naoki hurriedly said then threw a ball-like item that was wrapped up in a red gift wrapper. Naoki looked the other way, as if he was dodging Ken’s gaze.

Ken was deeply touched by Naoki’s action. Thank you, my baby. He thought to himself. Without any further ado, he unwrapped the gift and saw a black ball-like item that seemed to be melting.

“What’s this?” Ken asked.

“Can’t you see it’s a chocolate basketball?!? I… Well, I was meaning to shape it like a basketball but… but I failed,” Naoki’s voice was initially cold but it became somewhat weak so that he sounded like he was stammering.

Ken smiled dearly then pulled Naoki into his embrace. “It’s alright. I love it. Arigatō, Naoki. Happy Valentine’s Day.” His electric voice resonated within Naoki’s mind and sent warm currents across his peripheries. He was about to say something but he could not do so because his lips were already sealed with Ken’s.

Flashback…

Early in the morning, the corridors of the university were bustling with girls who were busy preparing to surprise the boys in their lives. It was Valentine’s Day so one could expect seeing a lot of girls who were vigorously preparing for this most-awaited day of the year. If one were to look at a girl in her eyes, you could see sparks flickering, as if they were roaring flames that could burn an entire mountain and could not be put out by mere water. Could you imagine how scary it is if you were to disturb these immortal-like beings in their once-a-year ritual?

Naoki was no different. The night before this, he bought all of the materials and ingredients he needed to make chocolates. He spent all night doing this just for Ken! In the morning, he woke up early just to make sure that he would arrive first in school. The first thing he did was to visit Ken’s classroom that was already bustling with girls who were leaving chocolates and gifts on the tables of those boys in that class.

Naoki’s eyes were like laser sensors. When he saw there were a few girls who were swarming around Ken’s table, he dashed toward that spot and pushed them away. Like dominoes, they fell, one after another.

The girls were about to fight back, but when Naoki looked back at them, they noticed the fire that was raging in Naoki’s eyes, as if he was the Devil himself. They immediately felt weak in their knees and decided to just leave. Naoki was very prepared. He had a big bag with him. He took all of those chocolates on Ken’s table and threw them in his bag. He ensured that no one would dare to leave anything on his beloved’s table. In response, no one dared to go near that spot. A few minutes before Ken’s arrival, that was when he finally decided to leave.

As he stepped out the room, he looked back and saw Ken, who was gleefully walking toward that room.